After witnessing the recent Senate leadership shake-up unfold like a reality show, Filipinos are left wondering just how easy it is to replace the Senate head. Why should everyone care?

Far beyond a coveted title, the Senate president plays an indispensable role and wields substantial institutional influence. The Senate presidency is one of the most critical positions in the Philippine government. 

What are the duties and responsibilities of a Senate president?

The role of the Senate president

The Senate president is the third highest official in the Philippines, and the second in line of succession to the president following the vice president, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. The Senate president taking the chief executive role happens only when both president and vice president have not been chosen, or in the case of “death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation.” 

The Senate president is mandated to hold the position “until a president or a vice president shall have been chosen or qualified.” The speaker of the House of Representatives follows the Senate president in the succession order. 

But in the hallowed halls of the legislature’s upper chamber, the Senate president is already considered the most powerful, both in terms of influence as well as based on rules set forward. Rules identify the Senate president as the “chief executive” of the Senate.

A Senate president’s duties and powers include, according to Section 3 of Rule III of the Rules of the Senate the following: 

• Presiding over Senate sessions, including leading processes such as calling the Senate to order and deciding on the agenda
• Signing measures, resolutions, and other memories, as well as issuing warrants or orders of arrests, and subpoenas for congressional hearings
• Ensuring that the Senate complies with all passed resolutions
• Overseeing control and maintaining order at the Senate, including the session hall, corridors, and offices
• Appointing Senate personnel in a way that does not exceed the amount authorized in the General Appropriations Act

In the legislative process, copies of proposed bills should be signed by the Senate president (together with the speaker of the House of Representatives) before being transmitted to the president for signing into law. 

The Senate president is also the ex-officio chairperson of the Commission on Appointments (CA), which has the power to confirm, bypass, or even reject the appointments of top public officials. 

In this role, the Senate president can receive questions related to the public official who will take the hot seat before the CA, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. 

Aside from this, the CA rules lay out the other duties of the Senate president as chairperson: 

• Issue calls for and preside over meetings 
• Preserve order and decorum during meeting sessions
• Act on questions related to orders
• Execute decisions, orders, and resolutions

Senate presidents through the years

The Philippines has had 26 Senate presidents in its history, according to the Senate’s website.

The first one was Manuel Quezon, who served from 1916 to 1935. He eventually became Philippine president in 1935 until 1944. The country is also yet to have a female Senate president.

Below is the full list of Senate presidents:

An influential position, but far from secure

The role of a Senate president usually goes beyond what is written in various laws and rules. The position wields significant influence not only on the legislative direction of the upper chamber, but also on how the chamber convenes and handles controversies, such as the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Because of this, a Senate president’s tenure is often dependent on shifting political alliances and the current powers, given that the Senate is composed of different political factions, including the pro-Duterte bloc. 

The end of Vicente Sotto III’s second term as Senate president was driven by a coup staged by Duterte allies. The surprise resurfacing of Senator Bato dela Rosa to support Alan Peter Cayetano’s bid for the Senate leadership is widely observed to be heavily linked to the impeachment effort against the Vice President.

Dela Rosa, the architect of Rodrigo Duterte’s violent war on drugs, is evading the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

The Senate had convened on Monday, May 14, as an impeachment court, days after the May 13 shooting incident in the upper chamber that coincided with Dela Rosa’s escape with the help of Senator Robin Padilla.

Amid these controversies and rumors of leadership changes, can Cayetano maintain his grip on the Senate? – with reports from Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com